HOUSTON, Minn. — Lots of folks will give a hoot about the far southeastern Minnesota community of Houston this weekend.

The International Festival of Owls is expected to draw nearly 2,000 visitors Friday through Sunday to the city of 979 people.

It's a treat for bird lovers and a boon for local businesses. Cross Roads Cafe owner Dorothy Moldenhauer tells the La Crosse Tribune (http://bit.ly/1jVl447 ) the festival weekend more than triples her business. She expects to serve customers from all over the U.S. and has already had some international visitors.

The cafe and other Houston businesses are decorated with hundreds of owl drawings from all over the world, submitted for the festival's owl drawing contest.

The festival offers a number of educational programs, including live owl displays and a Friday night Owl Prowl.

A couple hundred Minneapolis students set out Wednesday afternoon on a march from Martin Luther King Jr. Park in south Minneapolis to City Hall to "voice our concerns about gun violence in schools," according to a Facebook post.